Original A/N:

There's very little that original about this particular work. That being said, I am having so much fun writing it and I still think it's super cute. It's not particularly loyal to canon (manga or anime), but I think you'll be able to see where inspiration is coming from for particular scenes.

New A/N: Once Upon a Dream has been revised and is in the process of reposting! Most of the changes are just polishing and superficial in nature – just improving descriptions and transitions, however chapter two and three both contain lots of new scenes! Thank you to smfan4ever72 and my sisters for providing the crucial detailed feedback that brought about these improvements.

Italicized text is usually either a dream or a memory. Sometimes it is thoughts in first person perspective.

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Prologue:

The knight stood helpless as the seemingly endless wave of mindless youmas struck the frontlines yet again. Behind the never ending hordes, the knight could make out the majestic sorceress, waves of red curls cascading down and around her shoulders, standing on a cliff overlooking the chaos she had put into play, with four men at her back. His men. He grip on his hilt tightened in rage, his blood boiling with hatred. The woman seemed determined to take everything that was precious to him: his lush and growing world, his brothers in arms, and his princess.

He turned his gaze to his beloved, the princess of the moon. She wore a flowing white gown that accented her slim form with her long silver blond hair draped freely around her shoulders down to her knees. Her startlingly blue eyes shined too brightly, threatening tears. He felt her heartache as if it was his own. How he wished that he could take her pain from her.

His guilt threatened to consume him at times like this – when he remembered that this chaos had followed him to this impossible paradise. That the looming destruction was his own responsibility. And he could do nothing to defend or protect this kingdom.

'I'm sorry,' he mouthed to her, the apology paltry and insignificant in light of all that had happened.

Her eyebrows scrunched in puzzlement. 'For what?' her face said.

For everything, he wanted to tell her. But he said nothing. She didn't blame him at all. He smiled gratefully as he bridged the gap between them, allowing their fingers to just barely touch. The sounds of battle seemed to fade as he lost himself in the blue pools that were her eyes.

Seeing her now, her face tight in fear with her gown torn and dirtied, he knew he had to protect her. He blocked out everything else – the clash of steel colliding against each other, the fire and thunder of magic hurled for demonic purposes, the stars trembling above him. If only there was something he could do.

He forced his attention back to the battle happening before him. They were losing. It was only a matter of time before they were overrun. The fighting that had at first seemed far away now took place directly below them. Though their warriors and soldiers fought valiantly, the hordes of attackers never seemed to diminish. For every youma vanquished, another three seemed to appear. The hordes just rolled over everything in their path.

He shouted orders urgently to their honor guard, and the four female warriors were already surging forward to take out the enemies scaling the wall before the words had left his mouth.

He urged the princess behind him.

The senshi were quickly overrun and he was soon fighting for his life against a long white haired man. A man that he had once called friend.

Their blades collided. Sparks flew. The shock shot painfully up his arm. He held firm, but his adversary quickly pulled back to strike again and again, high and low, a feint to the right, only to attack left. It took all the knight's concentration to parry each incoming blow. He had never fought so desperately far too aware that his princess stood just a few paces behind him.

She made not a sound. She must have been terrified, but he felt a surge of pride that she maintained her composure. She knew he needed to concentrate on the battle.

The knight leapt forward bringing his blade down hard. The white haired man swept his attack aside easily. The knight met his opponent's steel grey eyes, mentally grasping for some technique to break past the other man's guard. How could he surprise a man that knew his own fighting style better than himself?

The knight left his right guard open – a mistake he had long been trained out of.

"You're getting tired highness. You know better," the other man accused disapprovingly, as he took the opening.

The knight twisted away from the enemy blade and thrust his own sword into his mentor's now unguarded chest.

"Why? Just tell me why?" the knight demanded as he pulled his blade free.

The familiar face stretched into an ugly smirk, an expression that looked completely unnatural on the older man's face. The knight froze. Something had gone horribly wrong.

He turned just in time to see the glowing pink crystals conjured by the man dying beneath him, rushing toward the moon princess – his princess. He leapt forward and shoved her aside.

Crystalline ice plunged through his chest, the physical shock burned through every nerve. He couldn't even manage a scream through the wall of pain, but it was her scream that wrenched him to his very soul. He felt her anguish and terror as if it was his own. He desperately tried to reach for her, but his limbs had gone numb and unresponsive. Her hand remained just a few unbearable millimeters away. He couldn't reach it.

She was by his side, sobbing brokenly, her face besmirched with streams of tears. He wanted to brush them away. She should never have to cry – not on his account. Her whole body convulsed as she screamed in defiance of the reality before her. It broke his heart that he was the cause of her grief. He wished that he could somehow ease her pain – make her forget him so she didn't have to feel this pain. She was the last of his world – everything else had faded completely from his senses, but somehow he was still able to feel her.

She grabbed at his waist. He couldn't fathom why. Suddenly she had a sword, his sword. The same sword his father had knighted him with. He didn't know why her holding it bothered him so much, but panic suddenly gripped him. A split second later he knew why. She had turned the blade toward herself.

'No,' he begged internally. She must not do this. He could not let her do this! It was his duty to protect her! But he couldn't stop her. He didn't have the strength. He couldn't even speak. He knew he had already succumbed to his own wound... had already died. She would never have even considered this otherwise.

The long silver blade pierced her left breast with sickening ease, her pure white gown welled deep red. He felt his own heart shatter completely. Her eyes glazed over, their sparkle gone.

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